A Hollywood star is heading to Broadway again.
Sarah Hyland has joined the cast of Just In Time as ’60s singer Connie Francis, the production announced Wednesday.
Hyland, 34, will begin taking the stage as the late singer on October 8, just days after Gracie Lawrence, who received a Tony nomination for her portrayal of the Pretty Little Baby songstress, officially wraps her run, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Just In Time debuted in April 2025 and stars Jonathan Groff as Bobby Darin, the legendary singer behind hits Splish Splash, Dream Lover, and his rendition of Beyond the Sea.
It was nominated for multiple Tony Awards this past year, including Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for Groff, 40.
Darin and Francis fell madly in love with one another after meeting early in their career, but the romance ultimately wasn’t meant to be, with the Mack the Knife singer ultimately wedding Sandra Dee.
Sarah Hyland has joined the cast of Broadway’s Just In Time as the late singer Connie Francis
The production focuses on the late Bobby Darin, who was romantically involved with Francis before his marriage to Sandra Dee (Darin and Francis pictured 1960)
‘It’s such an American story of [Bobby and Sandra’s marriage in] under 40 minutes,’ Groff told Variety of bringing the relationships to life with his co-stars. ‘So much happens so quickly, which is an expression of the fact that his life moved so fast, and considering he died by the time he was 37 and he was always aware of that ticking clock.
‘That is definitely articulated in that relationship between Sandra and Bobby in the show and our incredible book writer Isaac Oliver and our director Alex Timbers would do work sessions about the characters and about the research and what we had read.
‘Isaac, our writer, was really interested in collaborating and talking about the sort of beats of their story and the relationship dynamics in the Bobby and Sandra relationship that most spoke to us as people today.’
The role will not be Hyland’s first time performing on The Great White Way, with the Modern Family star previously playing Daisy Duchanan on The Great Gatsby and Jacqueline ‘Jackie’ Bouvier in Grey Gardens.
Just In Time also announced Sadie Dickerson will be playing Sandra Dee, replacing Erika Henningsen, whose last show will be on September 14, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Francis passed in July at age 87, and her prolific career saw her release hits such as Stupid Cupid and Pretty Little Baby, a song which recently gained viral fame on TikTok.
She also famously dated Darin, who died at age 37 in 1973.
In her autobiography, Francis learned about Dee and Darin’s marriage on the radio which upset her. She later shared that not marrying Darin was the biggest mistake of her life.
Darin is played by Jonathan Groff, who received a Tony nod for the role
The show debuted on the The Great White Way this past April; Groff pictured performing a song from Just In Time at the Tonys
Darin and Francis fell madly in love with one another after meeting early in their careers; pictured with Ed Sullivan in 1960
The Broadway show announced Hyland’s casting on Instagram
They also revealed Sadie Dickerson will begin playing Sandra Dee on September 16
The book even has two chapters dedicated to Darin.
‘Bobby Darin was different — dynamic, versatile, chock full of energy, with a fierce determination I had never seen before,’ she wrote.
‘I learned to adore him for all the reasons I always would – his respect for the little guy, his sense of fairness, his intellect, candor, and self confidence, his brashness, toughness and sweet tenderness — all the contrasts that made him so fascinating.’
The two fell madly in love and exchanged dozens of love letters to one another but were ultimately kept apart by Francis’ strict Italian father George, who insisted that she concentrate on her career and not date.
Though the pair were separated by her father, when George learned that the couple were secretly still in touch and that Darin was trying to convince Francis to elope with him, Francis says that an enraged George chased him away with a gun, insisting he never contact them again.
Francis married and divorced four times after breaking up with Darin. The longest of those marriages lasted five years, while the shortest lasted only four months.
‘Bobby was my first and last love,’ she recalled in a 2016 Daily Mail interview. ‘I never really loved anyone the way I loved him. He was dynamic and I trusted him completely, but we were star crossed lovers.
‘He was such a kind man who didn’t have an ounce of prejudice or bigotry in him and he was one of the smartest men I ever met.’
